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Samsung WiGig breakthrough claims five-fold wifi speed improvement

Samsung Electronics claims to have broken speed barriers in the development of 60GHz wifi technology. The 802.11ad wifi standard, dubbed “WiGig”, is claiming data transmission speeds of up to 4.6 gigabits per second (Gbps), a five-fold increase on current speeds of 866 megabits per second (Mbps) through the 802.11ac standard.

As a consequence, Samsung says a 1GB movie will be transferred between devices in less than three seconds, while real-time streaming of high definition videos is also a possibility.

Achieving such speeds is a direct result of removing interference caused by devices co-habiting channels, and by allowing for maximum speeds regardless of the number of devices using the network, it seems. The additional spectrum afforded by the 60GHz channel allows for low power modulation which, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, is ideal for in-room connectivity.

According to a Samsung announcement, the current challenges in commercially adopting 60GHz wifi technology primarily relate to weak penetration properties of current frequencies. “By leveraging millimeter-wave circuit design and high performance modem technologies and by developing wide-coverage beam-forming antenna, Samsung was able to successfully achieve the highest quality, commercially viable 60GHz Wi-Fi technology,” said Samsung.

Samsung also claims that early commercialised deployments of the standard could be realised by 2015. Initial targeted use cases of the new standard include audio visual and medical devices, as well as telecommunications equipment. The technology will also be integral to developments relevant to Samsung’s smart home and other initiatives related to the Internet of Things.

“Samsung has successfully overcome the barriers to the commercialization of 60GHz millimeter-wave band Wi-Fi technology, and looks forward to commercializing this breakthrough technology,” said Kim Chang Yong, Head of DMC R&D Centre of Samsung Electronics. “New and innovative changes await Samsung’s next-generation devices, while new possibilities have been opened up for the future development of Wi-Fi technology.”

802.11ad is being positioned as the natural successor to the current standard IEEE 802.11ac. The current certification programme for the 802.11ad standard is being developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, whose current members are developing the WiGig Certified program to deliver interoperability of products.

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